Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Eaton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $245K, 3.2 years of the Syracuse metro’s $75K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 228th of 745 in New York. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $53K, and 10% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. Eaton’s median age is 24.5 years, where New York’s towns sit at 43 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Only 85 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors. Its National Register listings include Old Madison County Courthouse and First National Bank of Morrisville.
Where Eaton beats most towns.
Old Madison County Courthouse5,255 counted in 2010 and 4,284 in 2020; an estimated 4,391 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 2.6% since 2020, after a 18.5% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Eaton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,021 in 1820, 4,284 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1979 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eaton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Eaton.
Eaton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is shaped by its college students and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
Homes are within reach (about $245K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. The median property tax bill is $3,132, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 9.3% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Eaton is $818 a month.
| Eaton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $818 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Morrisville-Eaton Central School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward R Andrews Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 285 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Against the 6,868 U.S. towns with household incomes like Eaton’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Eaton beats the New York average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 34% of adults feel lonely in Eaton.
| Eaton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Eaton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 17.2% |
| More adults with obesity | 36.6% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Sherburne weather station, 16 miles away, records that about 7 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Eaton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Eaton’s July high is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Eaton has about as many jobs (1,243) as working residents, but only 170 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Eaton for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Eaton has lost 130 jobs, to 1,243 in 2023. The top destinations are Hamilton (10%), Syracuse (6%) and New York (4%).
| Eaton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.6 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Eaton
College town 34 of every 100 Eaton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 places in Eaton on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Eaton.
Town in New York, United States
Eaton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 4,284 at the 2020 census, down from 5,255 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Eaton.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton | #228 | B+ | A | — | B− | B+ |
| Lebanon | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Madison | #595 | C− | C+ | — | D | B+ |
| Nelson | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Stockbridge | — | — | B+ | — | C | B |
Lebanon, Nelson and Stockbridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Eaton, Lebanon, Madison, Nelson and Stockbridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Eaton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Eaton grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #228 of 745 in New York. It grades B+ for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
4 notable people were born here, including Emily Chubbuck and Melville D. Landon.
